Anatomy Lesson
by maritess342
Summary: Jeff and Annie have a study date, with unexpected consequences. Set around Season 2, before the Valentine's Day dance. No spoilers, all fluff. Disclaimer: Neither the characters nor the study room table belong to me. Authors Note: Long time watcher, first time ficcer of the awesome show, Community!


Watching Annie smile was like watching the sun rise.

Annie's smiles started with her eyes, with a small lift of her eyebrows and a subtle widening of her eyes, spread to her cheeks, which rounded up and out, and finished at her mouth as the cupid bow of her lips curved into a wide smile. Each move, in its part, was subtle, unremarkable even, but the collection of all the movements, together, when directed at Jeff, threatened to bring light and warmth to even the darkest and coldest part of Jeff's cynically walled off heart.

But, as he and Annie were _friends _spending Saturday afternoon together on a _study_ date, this was a fact that Jeff had been trying to hide.

The assignment for Anatomy class had been straightforward enough: learn the names of the muscles needed for a human smile. This straightforward task, however, had required learning obscure and forgettable names of facial muscles in Latin, a language neither Jeff nor Annie had studied. Together, they had been able out to puzzle-out a meaning for some, but not all, of the names. So Annie, who, today, was sitting in front of him wearing a headband, a jewel-teal sweater, and the happiest and brightest of her collection of uniquely Annie smiles, had devised a plan.

"Kinesthetic learning, Jeff," she had beamed. "I read about it in a how-to-study study guide. It's a way of learning that uses movement and model making to learn things," Annie said.

"You read study guides for studying?" asked Jeff, confused.

"Yeah, Jeff. I mean, how else am I going to know the most efficient technique to learn different types of information?" she asked as if the answer were self-evident. "Anyway, we don't have models here, but we do have each other, right?" Annie scooted her chair around the corner of the study table to sit closer to Jeff. "All right, so give me a big smile, and I'll use your face to kinesthetically learn the muscles!"

Jeff groaned in disdain. "Ugh, Annie. You can't just use my face as a learning tool. My face is a finely sculpted work of art! Do you know how much face yoga I do to keep these cheeks this chiseled?"

Annie bit back a laugh of surprise. "I know, Jeff, which is why I'm so lucky that I get to ask you to be my model," she said, appealing to his ego. "Please?" she asked flashing him her hopeful princess look.

Jeff, secretly pleased at her request, sighed, sat forward in his chair, plastered a tolerant smile to his face.

Annie smiled. "Thanks, Jeff." Annie leaned forward and pressed her fingers lightly to his face. "So these muscles make your eye crinkle. Obicularis oculi. And these pull the corner of your lips, nose and mouth. Levator—labii superioris and anguli oris. Risorious pulls the corner of the mouse to the side," said Annie lightly ran her finger tips from the corner of Jeff's mouth to his cheek, "and zygomatic major and minor pull up the corners of the mouth bilaterally."

Annie's gentle exploration of Jeff's face with her fingertips had set all of Jeff's senses on alert. The skin on his arms had raised, his breath had become shallow, and his heart, unable to tell if he should 'flight', 'fright', 'fight', or 'other' had begun to beat wildly in his chest. He was hyper aware of the small distance between his face and hers, and his world narrowed until he was only aware the motion of her lips as she named each of the muscles of his face.

He was still watching her speak when he heard someone call his name.

"Jeff? Jeff?" asked Annie.

Jeff shook off his reverie. "Oh, sorry, what did you say, Annie?" he asked.

She smiled brightly at him. "I said it's your turn now, Jeff. Do me," she said innocently.

Jeff's eyes widened slightly in panic, but he swallowed the feeling, leaned forward in his chair, and placed his palm gently on Annie's cheek. "Zygomaticus major and minor. Orbicularis oculi. Risorius," he recited as he moved his thumb gently over her cheek, around the crinkle of her eye, and at her jawline. He watched curiously as Annie's breath quickened and her skin turned a light shade of pink. "Levator—labii superioris and anguli oris," he said while tracing his thumb lightly over her lips.

Surprised at her own reaction to Jeff's touch, Annie gasped, her lips parting slightly under Jeff's thumb. Jeff, surprised by the sudden electricity between them, sat frozen in place, lost in the sea of potential outcomes from the infinite possibilities of his next move.

To steady himself, Jeff blindly reached out his other hand and touched the study table. Suddenly, the moment of tension was over, the electricity between them discharging harmlessly into the tangible symbol of their group's friendship. Jeff dropped his hand and cleared his throat. Annie leaned back, too, relieved and mildly disappointed.

"Uh, so how'd I do, teach?" Jeff asked to cover his awkwardness.

Annie gave him a small smile. "A+, Jeff. I think you've got it, now." Annie tugged slightly at the hem of her sweater and straightened her skirt over her lap. "Do you think you'll be able to remember the names of the muscles for the test, though?"

_I don't think I'll ever forget,_ thought Jeff to himself. Jeff gave Annie an inscrutable look, and the nodded his head. "Something tells me I'll ace this part of the test."

Annie's eyes widened in surprise. She was tempted to hear, in his words, an expression of desire, her own attraction to Jeff coaxing her to read into their shared moment. Deciding that she wanted more than yet another 'would they, might they' moment, however, she pulled herself straighter, squared her shoulders, and gave him a brief, business like nod of her head. "Good." Glancing at her watch, she exclaimed a soft, "Ugh!" of surprise. "Oh my gosh, Jeff, it's 5:30! You have that date tonight, right?" Annie stood and began packing her study materials.

"And you, Troy and Abed are going to the movies tonight, right?" asked Jeff.

Annie nodded and slung her backpack onto her shoulder. "Well, I'm going that way," she said, gesturing to the right.

Jeff nodded and pointed to the left. "And my car's that way," he said.

As they left the study room, Jeff and Annie did their usual hug-or-handshake dance. But this time, as Jeff reached out his hand to pat her head, he hesitated. Remembering the feel of Annie's cheek against his hand, for a brief moment, Jeff wondered if Annie would give him permission to do it all again, to place his hand affectionately on her cheek, or to explore with his fingertips the soft fine curves of her face and rounded fullness of her lips against his thumb. Afraid of her rejection, and more afraid of her acquiescence, Jeff shook his head and patted her on the head, yet again.

Annie paused. "Well, same time next week, Jeff?" she said hopefully.

Jeff nodded. "Same time, same place, Annie. See you."

As Jeff and Annie left for their respective appointments, they, unknowingly, shared the same thought.

_Maybe next time, _thought Annie hopefully as she walked away.

_Maybe next time, _thought Jeff, as he walked away, disappointed in himself.


End file.
